Campus News 2013

For Immediate ReleaseAugust 22, 2013

Schreiner panel to discuss ‘World War Z’

Community members are invited to discuss Max Brooks’ “World War Z” with a panel from Schreiner University 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17, in the Floyd & Kathleen Cailloux Campus Activity Center Theatre on the SU campus. This event is part of The Big Idea series, and the basis for the yearlong examination of rights and responsibilities.

In August, Dr. William Woods, dean of the school of liberal arts and professor of English, hosted a brown bag lunch to discuss the novel, and he will be back again to discuss the book further. Woods also is the founder of the annual Schreiner Popular Culture Symposium.

“I’m so excited for this opportunity to chat with other zombie fans,” Woods said. “On the surface, our society’s recent fascination with the walking dead and other types of zombies is just good, creepy fun, but underneath that fascination I think something very profound is going on.”

And how does a novel about zombies fit into that conversation? According to Woods, “It might seem a bit silly, but in every good zombie movie or novel or comic book—consider the wildly popular “Walking Dead” series—the central characters are continually wrestling with ethical questions.”

It is an opportunity to explore complex issues, Woods said. “There are always questions such as do zombies have rights? Who decides who lives or dies during a zombie assault? Who is responsible for restoring order during a time of chaos? Talking about rights and responsibilities in the context of a zombie pandemic helps us examine these issues from a distance and as outsiders. And, of course, it will be terrifyingly fun.”